"In too many countries an official conspiracy of silence about AIDS has denied people information that could have saved their lives. We must empower young people to protect themselves through information and a supportive social environment that reduces their vulnerability to infection."

Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the Millennium Report

Vital statistics

• As of December 2002, 42 million people in the world were living with HIV-- the virus that causes AIDS.

• More than 20 million people around the world have already died of AIDS.

• Although Africa has 10 per cent of the world’s population, it is home to 70 per cent of all people living with HIV. In 16 countries in Africa region, more than 10 per cent of those between 15 and 49 years old are infected with HIV.

• 14 million children currently under 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS.

• The most recent UNAIDS/WHO estimates show that, in 2002 alone, 5 million people were newly infected with HIV.